UW Squeaks Out a Win in BOKA's Apple Cup

BOKA's attempt at capturing Huskydom.

I'm a Big Ten fan. I have no earthly idea who's going to win the Apple Cup tomorrow. But, if the signature cocktails developed by BOKA are the least bit trustworthy, I'd put my money on the Huskies.

BOKA this year created a cocktail in honor of each team: The institution associated with the best-selling drink gets king-of-BOKA bragging rights, and fans get a surge of alma mater pride in exchange for their $7. I decided to sample both as an impartial observer, and was more impressed with the vermouth-and-brandy concoction sold under the UW banner - but not by much.

BOKA's liquid interpretation of WSU.

When a bartender described the cocktails, I assumed I'd like the Husky drink best. Hibiscus infused-vermouth, brandy, simple syrup, Scrappy's oranges bitter and soda sounds way more my speed than blueberry infused vodka, lemon juice and huckleberry liqueur. I hadn't counted on the soda overwhelming the UW drink: The off-balanced cocktail, served on the rocks, tasted like a rejected Nehi variety. Still, it was a smidgen better than the Cougar drink, which was so sweet it could have doubled as dessert topping (and might very well have been created by a Husky loyalist.)

So, knowing nothing about Pac-10 football - but a wee bit about cocktails - I'm looking for both teams to go big, and UW to win ugly. See you on Monday.

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